Top Surgical Technology Professors

Deborah Goad is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She also acts as the Arkansas State Assembly President, and is an active participant in legislation efforts to require licensure and certification for all surgical technologists. She is also one of the finest teachers in the field, and received the AST Clinical Educator of the Year Award in 2010. Her students rate her very highly as an extremely helpful teacher.

Mona Bourbonnias is the Program Director and a professor of Surgical Technology at the College of Western Idaho. She was recently showcased at the AST National Conference for her 25-year membership in the organization, as well as a Merit Certificate for her high-quality educational leadership. She is an avid speaker about best practices for leading high-quality student Surgical Technology programs.

Douglas Hughes is currently the Assistant Professor of Surgical Technology and Program Director at Columbia Basin College. In 2012, he was awarded the Association of Surgical Technologist (AST) National Educator of the Year, mainly due to his unique teaching style and hands-on approach to surgical technology education. He has also served as the Vice President of the Association of Surgical Assistants (ASA), and on committees for the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA).

Dana Bancer is the Assistant Chair and an instructor for the School of Health Careers at Daytona State College. She also serves as the Treasurer and Educational Representative of the NBSTSA, which gives her students a fantastic insight into the National Board Exam and certification process. She is the Chair of the Exam Review Committee for the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting, and was recently named a Fellow of the AST.

Bill Hammer is currently acting as the Surgical Technology Program Director at Illinois Central College. Due to his excellence in teaching and practical skills, he was named a 2014 Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). This award is very prestigious, as it has been given to less than 100 surgical technologists in the history of the AST. In addition, Dr. Hammer is serving as the President of the Illinois State Assembly of Surgical Technologists.

Nicole Claussen has been an accomplished professor and program director for a number of high-ranking schools. Currently, she’s acting as a professor and Program Director of Surgical Technology at Kirtland Community College, which was named the in the Top 3 Small Technology Community Colleges by the Center for Digital Education. She is also a Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists (awarded 2012), and the current President of the Missouri State Assembly of Surgical Technologists.

Jeff Bidwell is a professor and Surgical First Assistant Program Director of Madisonville Community College in Kentucky. He is very involved in the national testing and accreditation components of surgical assisting, and has served on both the Accreditation Review Council on Education In Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) and the Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) Examination Review Committee for the NBSTSA.

T. Van Bates is a professor and the Program Director of the Surgical Technology Program at Nashville State Community College. He was elected the Chair of the Subcommittee on Accreditation for Surgical Assisting (SASA) in 2008, which led to his service as a Director on the ARC/STSA Board from 2008-2012. He recently was promoted from Secretary of the ARC/STSA to the President, succeeding Betsy Slagle in September of 2014. Van is also a contributor for the AST’s “Surgical Technologist Examination Study Guide".

Lisa Reed is the current Department Chair and a Professor at the New England Institute of Technology. She was recently awarded a Fellow position from the AST, due to her extensive surgical activities both inside and outside of the classroom. She has acted as the President of the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). The pass rate of her students on the NBSTSA exam is 100%.

Chris Keegan is a Professor and Chair of the Surgical Technology Department at Vincennes University. She is also a celebrated author in the field, having collaborated with Katherine Snyder on the comprehensive guide, “Pharmacology for the Surgical Technologist, 3^rd Edition.” Students call Mrs. Keegan, “Laid-back” and “Down-to-earth.” She not only teaches Pharmacology, but History, and has a fantastic collection of antique surgical instruments she shares in her lectures.